Long Journey Home
by anna becker
Summary: Eighteen months following Dark Waters, Lily is just surviving. What do you do when you see the one person you love more that life it self, disappear over the edge of a cliff? What do you do when he shows back up with no memory of who he is and with new orders to kill her? What do you do when you are trapped together on a mountain and a long thought dead enemy shows back up?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay folks, here is the next chapter in the Lily and Aaron saga. Please review and please enjoy!**

Prologue

They thought that they had won, had saved him, brought him back to life. They had tried to reprogram him, thought they had succeeded and he had let them believe it. He was still playing the game and they didn't know. The doctor, the military general and everyone else in this new "facility" thought they were the ones in control again. It had been taken away from them due to "evidence" being brought forth. Several key people had been arrested, sites had been shut down, programs destroyed and yet they had found a way, a way to survive. But so had he, he needed to survive, to win at any cost. But he was not alone. They had found the other one as well, the torn in his side, the vain of his existents. So now he lay in wait, waiting for an opportunity and then he would take it. Until then, however he would be patient, and he would do as he was told. He had a game to play and he would finally win, finally come out on top. Patience, it would come very soon.

The first thing he remembered was the rush of sea water that had pulled him under. He remembered the taste of it, the smell and how cold it was. He remembered being pulled from the water, too tired to move or even speak. He saw faces moving in front of him, but unable to make out faces or voices. He had lost consciousness not long after. The next time he woke up, he found himself in a very sterile room, on a hospital bed. He was hooked up to several machines, each one moderating his vitals. He had a vag recollection of all of this, as if he had been here before. He didn't have memory of much else. He saw very few people, but those he did see wouldn't answer questions. They wouldn't even look at him and when speaking it was as if they spoke about an inanimate object. He didn't like it, but eventually a general came to see him. He told him he was a government agent that had been on mission when it had all gone wrong. They had been looking for him for some time. He was important they said, and that they had another mission for him to complete. They gave him a photo, told him the person was the enemy, one that needed to be taken out. Another agent would be going with him to make sure it was done. When he asked who she was they had told him names were not important just that she was enemy number one. She seemed very familiar to him, as if he knew her in another life, but she was an enemy. She was very pretty, small in stature but her eyes held a fiery intelligence. She would be a hard one to catch but he had to complete this mission. Then, they had said, he would get the answers to who and what he really was.

Months before she was to leave the city she had started to prepare. She had found an out of the way place. Somewhere isolated where she could be alone, a place where she could hide and a place where she would be safe. She had made preparations in case she was found and she had made sure she had a way out. She had stashed away money, passports and a stock pile of food. She had a second mode of transportation with several different license plates, id tags and clothes. She had wigs, glasses, hats, hair dyes, anything to change her looks. That was one thing he had taught her, one thing of many things she had learned. She had started going to the shooting range so that she could handle a gun better, she had taken self- defense classes and she installed several different kinds of alarm systems. She would survive, if nothing else for him, she would survive. They would never find her and if they did they would be in for one heck of a fight, a fight worth fighting for.

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it and enjoy the ride. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the kind reviews. I really enjoy hearing from you. So enjoy and let me know what you think.**

Chapter One: Safe Haven

Lily's POV

Lily Carmichael had a plan. Not a great one, not a complicated one but a plan none the less. She would hide and she would run. She would stay alive and she would fight. There were days when she didn't want to fight and there were nights when she couldn't sleep but she knew she had to stay alive.

She had learned that it was not all over like she had hoped. Eighteen months of fighting had led to the Facility regrouping and starting again. Everything she had gone through, everything she had lost was in vain. Yet it had made her so angry and sad at the same time that she would survive, just out of spite. She knew they would come for her, she knew they would try to kill her but she would be ready.

Months prior she had started to prepare, she had found an old trappers cabin up in the woods. She rented it on month to month bases and had made a few new modifications to the place. It came furnished and was up on a seasonal road. She could see the valley below but the cabin was very well hidden among the trees and brush.

Shortly after the trials and arrests had ended, the agent she had been working with told her that those who had been caught weren't the only ones involved. Some had flown under the radar and had survived, like her. They had found a way to re configure programs thought dead and they were getting better at getting in and out before anyone had noticed. Legitimate missions had been compromised and information was being passed into enemy hands. People were being tortured and killed all in the name of creating a bigger and better army and it was all of her fault, her creation. When she was a child she had a sister who was sick. Sarah was the one person she cared about and loved. Growing up had not been easy, with no parents and with just an alcoholic uncle who despised the two of them; they had learned to survive to adapt. She had met Aaron then, they had been displaced children and he had saved her life. They wouldn't meet again until they were adults and her sister was gone.

Lily had thought she could save her sisters memory and had created a drug for that very purpose, to help those with other problems only the people who were supposed to help her had used the base line formula to create a drug. This drug was essentially used to create a super soldier. Aaron had been one of the program participants. Only he didn't know what they had been doing to him. Long story short, she was responsible and because of it she had watched the one person that she loved more than life itself, go over the side of a cliff. So now here she was, just surviving. It's what she did best.

She was currently at the bottom of the mountain, sitting in the semi-old white pick- up truck staring out at the tiny two street town. It had the basics, a church, school, bank, police, fire and of course the general story where you could get anything from socks and toothbrushes to food and hand guns. You had to love small towns. She had chosen this place because a lot of tourists came through her and she would be more inconspicuous. She was here to gather supplies and to get a feel for the area. She took a deep breath, exited the truck and made her way to the store across the street. She had mostly what she needed and only needed a few more items to truly pass as a tourist. She entered the store with her sunglasses still in place and scanned her surroundings, a trick she had picked up from Aaron. She gathered the few items she needed, food, a tent, boots, anything that would have her pass as a hiker. She paid for her things, made her way back to her truck and loaded it. That was when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She suddenly had the over whelming feeling that she was being watched. She did a quick scan of the area but didn't find anything out of order. She needed to get away from here and into the safety of her cabin. She got into the truck and drove away. She did a few turns around town to make sure she wasn't being followed and once satisfied she made her way up the mountain to her safe hide away. She had chosen this area because it was so isolated and it was an hour from town.

Once home, she unloaded all of her belonging and entered the cabin, locked the doors behind her and took a deep breath. It was a small cabin, with a furnished kitchenette that led to a small living room. Off from there was a small yet cozy bed room and bathroom. The best part was the cellar that led from a door in the kitchen. There was a tunnel that led from that out into the mountain side. She figured it was used to smuggle poached animals at one time so that no one would know what they were really trapping. For her it was an escape root which she added a lock on the inside and left a backpack with provisions further down the tunnel.

She walked the length of the cabin checking locks, windows, and doors. She dimmed the lights and watched the window. Even though she felt secure in her little haven, she still couldn't shake the feeling someone was out there watching her. Maybe she was becoming paranoid but she wasn't sleeping anyway and you could never be too sure.

The thing Lily didn't realize was that she wasn't being watched just by one man but two. One who really did want to kill her and one who was having an internal debate because when he did see his target something told him there was more to her story. Something told him she needed him to protect her at any cost.

**So many ideas' but sleep is badly needed. Enjoy and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for all of the kind words and I hope you enjoy this as much as I am writing this. **

Chapter Two: Watchful Eyes

Aaron's POV

It hadn't been long before Aaron had found were his target was hiding. She was smart, and resourceful. He also knew she was running scared and was on full alert. She had sensed him watching her and noticed how she scanned the area before taking a detour out of town. In truth, Aaron won't have found his way here without Alex's direction. Alex was the one who really had it all figured out. Those in charge had thought it best Alex travel with him. They had told him on his last mission he had a break down in his programing that had caused him to lose parts of his memory. Alex was along to make sure he did his next mission without any further incident and to ease him back into field work. Truth was Aaron figured it was to keep him in check. In fact this whole scenario felt wrong, something didn't exactly ring true. Something about Alex seemed off as if he had something to hide. But then most agents had secrets, it was what kept them sharp. Too bad he couldn't remember any secrets; he couldn't remember much of anything. They told him he had, had a head injury that had caused memory loss, something else he didn't believe. Whatever the case he had a mission to complete and if he completed it they had told him he would start to get answers.

Aaron had actually gotten to the small town a few hours ahead of Alex. He found her almost by accident and once he had he couldn't quite get enough. Something about her, even from a distance pulled at him. Why they wanted her dead, he didn't know but he really didn't think he could kill her. Not, at least until he knew what her story was. From what he observed from her, she was smart enough to survive and stay alive. She knew how to blend in, but he found her oddly predictable. So once she had left town, he started up the mountain. It would be a step climb and he could manage it due not only to his training but due to certain enhancements he had received easily on. The people in charge had decided on full discloser due to an incident that had happened early on. Another thing he didn't remember.

Hours later and very close to sunset, Aaron found himself coming across a cabin, hidden within the trees of the mountain. He made out a soft glow of light coming from a window and smoke rose gently from the chimney. He noticed a white pick-up truck hidden in the trees not too far away from the doorway. He walked on silent feet and snuck up to the truck, peeking inside. The interior was like any other except for the duffle bag in the tiny back seat. He tried the door to find it locked. Good girl, he thought with a slight smile. So many people left simple things like their cars and homes on locked. Most people didn't take security so seriously.

He reached into his pocket and pulled an item out, silently jimmying the lock. He slide in silently and grabbed the back un zipping it. He wasn't quite prepared for what he found. It was full of money, from several different countries, four different passports with four different identities. He found several items of clothing and things to disguise he looks. What concerned him the most was a fully loaded hand gun nestled in the bottom of the bag. After put everything back he picked up one of the passports to get a better look at her. Something in the back of his head was nagging him about her. Sad eyes looked out at him from the photo. She seemed young yet harbored an old sole. She seemed to be the person who had had a tough life yet somehow endured. She didn't smile, but he would bet when she did it would light up the room. He had a hard time looking away from the photo until he heard a slight sound. He tucked the passport away, sunk down in the seat and glanced up over the steering wheel. She was standing on the small porch looking out into the darkness. She was wrapped in what looked like a man's leather coat. She had wrapped her arms around herself to starve off the chill in the air. It looked to him as if she had been crying. She was scanning the night with her eyes back and forth, looking for something. She looked in the direction of the truck and he slouched down even further. Her gaze lingered there for a moment and he had the sudden urge to hold her to him, chasing away the demons that seemed to haunt her. Then just as quickly as she had emerged into the night, she disappeared into the cabin. He waited there in the truck for a long time, trying to figure why he was drawn to her.

After a bit he noticed the light in the cabin went out. He slowly and quietly exited the truck and walked to the side of the cabin making sure to keep to the shadows. He tried to peer into the windows but found that they were all covered so once again he jimmied the lock on the front door and slipped inside. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and moved around the small room. It was very tidy but sparsely furnished. He found a small desk in the corner and went to look through it when he suddenly felt a presents behind him and the click of a gun.

"You had better hope that what you found was interesting, because it will be the last thing you see." A light went on and Aaron slowly put his hands up turning around.

"My intention is not to hurt you; I just need to find some answers." His eyes met a very shocked pair of eyes holding a small rifle.

"Aaron" She said in barely a whisper. He took a step forward when suddenly the front door bust open and he found himself in the middle of a standoff. The tiny woman with a rifle and his fellow agent holding his side arm.

"Come Cross, time to do what you came here for. Finish your mission." Alex said with a sneer.

**Hope you like it! Please review and thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you once again for reading. It makes it that much easier to continue Aaron's and Lily's journey. So please enjoy and once again thank you!**

Chapter Three: A Shocking Realization.

Lily's POV

To say she was completely shocked was an understatement. She didn't know if she should be happy, angry, scared. She didn't know rather to run and hide or go down fighting. She didn't know rather to cry or shout out. The realization that the one man she loved more than life itself and she thought dead was almost too much to comprehend. The realization that the man that had tried to kill them both was now standing in her living room and the realization that Aaron didn't know her was almost unbelievable. She still didn't know if she was dreaming or this was someone's very cruel practical joke. Whatever the case she had to make a choice on rather to shoot the intruders in her house or take a chance that she may reason with one. Shooting them didn't seem an option since he hands were shaking so badly. No matter how much she was prepared for this very thing she still couldn't do it. That's when she notice Aaron glancing at her, his hands still raised and she read a slight spark of recognition sparked in his eyes.

Alex took a step closer with his gun still raised.

"Step away Cross and do the job you were sent to do" He hiss gesturing to Lily. Aaron stepped in front of lily so that Alex's gun was pointing at him.

"I really think we need to feel this out first. I think there is more going on her then we've been told."

"You're not supposed to think Cross!" Alex yelled. He seemed to be coming unhinged. "You're not supposed to feel, you're supposed to do! Follow orders, not question it. Now finish her off." She noticed Aaron tensing up a bit before pulling his own gun. He seemed to be having an internal debate and then he turned to her, leveling his gun. Her heart stopped and she didn't know what to do or think until she saw the look in his eyes. He was trying to tell her something and if she didn't know him as well as she did or use to know. Like before she thought maybe somewhere deep inside he did remember who he really was. He slightly nodded his head toward her as if to tell her to be ready. She really hoped reading him correctly because in the next few seconds she would make a choice that would either prolong her life or end it. She quickly looked planning her next move, when Aaron spoke again.

"Your right we do have a mission to complete and I do think too much which is why we need to end this." He turned back to Alex as Alex lowered his gun.

"Good boy then, let get this done. She is a slippery one, so get it done. Aaron turned around to face her once again and mouthed the words "run" to her. She took off just as a shot was fired and the lamp next to her exploded leaving the room in complete darkness. She knew this room though, every square inch so she made her way to the tiny kitchen. She found the door to the cellar threw it open and flew down the stairs. She could hear the struggle in the room above her and she made her way to the other end of the room. Pushing aside the small pile of items she had put in front of the tunnel she opened that door, hurried through and bolted it shut from the other side. She found the flashlight she kept there and hurried down the corridor. Clenching the leather coat she still wore, she tried to get her head on straight. It was hard since the coat she wore belonged to him and after eighteen months it still smelled of him. She still didn't know rather she was still dreaming or if she had really seen him standing in her house as hoped so many times before would have happened. She gave her head a shake and she continued down the tunnel. Half way down she had left a back pack with emergency provisions and some winter gear. She had a sneak suspicion she was about to be cold for a while. A storm was brewing, she could feel it and the last thing she wanted was to get trapped here with someone trying to kill her, again.

She made her way to the end of the tunnel and shown her light up. There was a ladder that lead to a hatch that opened to the outdoors. She climbed to the top, worked the latch and used her shoulder to push the door up. Once opened she climber up and out, closing the door behind her. She looked around into the dark forest planning her next move. She couldn't make it to her seconded hidden vehicle at this point but she knew of a small bluff where she could lay in wait and fortunately for her it hadn't started snowing yet.

She looked back in the direction of her cabin but the night was quiet. By now she was sure they had figured out she had gone through the tunnel which meant they were not far behind her. She quickly found her little hide away which was tucked up against the side of a cliff with an overhang. Brush and trees block anyone's view. She would stay here for the night and then decide what she must do. She crawled in and slid up against the rock face bringing her bag with her. She pulled out her winter gear and got into it and used her leather jacket as a blanket. From her position she could see out into the night. It was then that she was able to let herself cry and full take in what she had just found out. Aaron was alive. How she didn't know but what she could put together was the people who ran the Facility had found them and re programed them. Although she wondered if it really worked because Alex seemed as crazy as ever and Aaron, well she wasn't so sure. He had forgotten her once before and he had again. Still the look in his eyes told her there was a sliver of hope that he was not totally reprogramed. He did after all let her go which told her he was still with her somehow. She looked up at the night sky and prayed that she could still save him.

**Please let me know what you think and enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So sorry it's been a while. I had an incredibly busy week so I hope it was worth the wait. Enjoy and let me know what you think.**

Chapter Four: Protective Instinct

Aaron's POV

She had looked absolutely terrified. When he had turned around to face her she had paled considerably and looked as if she had seen a ghost. When she spoke his name it was barely above a whisper and it was if she couldn't believe she was actually speaking it. When he looked at her his whole thought process disappeared. The mission to kill her just then seemed so totally wrong. He found himself unable to look away from her or to understand why this tiny woman would be a threat to anyone. Then he realized looking in her eyes was enough. She was scared, truly scared and he wanted to protect her with every fiber of his being. That was when Alex came through the door and he found himself standing between him and her. Even though his memory was a bit fuzzy he knew that Alex was much more dangerous then she would ever be.

Alex seemed angry especially when Aaron had tried to reason with him. She was not a threat and they need to really think this through. Alex had gotten angrier unable to control his emotions so he had turned to her. Hoping, if he was right, she would read his expression to run and then he had acted. Once he had fired his weapon at the lamp plunging the room in darkness he could hear her leave through the kitchen. His intention was to follow her but Alex had other plans and charged at Aaron knocking him over sending more debris throughout the room.

"Stupid Cross, really stupid!" Alex screamed at him. Aaron tried to push him off but Alex had him pinned to the ground. Aaron was finally able to get enough leverage and was able to push him off scrambling to his feet.

"What is wrong with you Alex? She's scared and she's not the threat we should be looking into. Something more is going on here. Why would they send us to kill an innocent?" Alex looked at him with a strange sort of look and then started to laugh a cruel laugh.

"You really don't know and yet you let her get under your skin again." He shook his head before he continued. "They really couldn't re program you any more than they could me. You just let your emotions run you, you always have."

"What do you mean by reprogram? What's going on here and what does she have to do with it?" Once again he had an unspeakable urge to protect her. Alex seemed to shift slightly as if he seemed anxious.

"They are trying to control us brother, make us better and your girlfriend is right in the middle of it. She's the one who is responsible and when she had a sudden internal moral dilemma, she decided to end it all." Aaron started to shake his head.

"No Alex, you're wrong. She is running scared and she knew me, not as someone viewing me as a lab experiment but as a person. Aren't you tired of being used as a weapon, as a means to an end? We need to find out what the real story is." Alex took a step toward Aaron as if going in for another attack when he suddenly stopped. His eyes seem to suddenly cloud with confusion and he shook his head as if trying to clear it. He took a step back and started back to the door.

"You do what you want Cross, but I'm going to finish our mission and then I will end all of this once and for all." With that Alex turned and melted back into the dark of the night.

Aaron had a choice. He chose to go in the direction Lily had gone in. Finding her was his priority, before Alex got to her. Regardless what he was just told he didn't believe she was responsible, at least not on purpose.

He found the door to the cellar in the kitchen had been opened and he went down. At the opposite end of the room was a door which he figure was where she had went. He tried opening the door but found that it seemed to be locked from the other side. She had been prepared, that was for sure. He looked around the cellar for something to pry the door opened and finally found a pipe wrench that was lying on a small table. Grabbing it, he went to work on opening the door. After a bit of work the door started to splinter and the lock pulled away. He took a flashlight from his jacket and shown it down a tunnel which seemed to go on for a few miles. Without thinking he ran the length of the tunnel and came to the end. Here he found a door that lead to the surface. Once he was out he looked out into the night once again and tried to get his bearings. It was a moonless night which made it more difficult to see and he was guessing which way she would have went. She would look for shelter and a place where she would feel safe. He could hear a river flowing in the distance and knew from earlier that a rock face was close by. That would offer several hiding places in the undergrowth and overhangs. Going mostly on instinct he made his way in that direction. Once he came to the rocks he once again used his flashlight to scan the area. At first he didn't see anything, than he noticed a very slight disturbance in the brush. To an untrained observer they would walk by without noticing it, but he seemed drawn to the spot. He turned off his light and let his eyes adjust to the darkness ad quietly he approached. He peered down and through the brush he noticed a figure curled up against the rocks, covered in that leather jacket, sound asleep. He crawled into her hiding place covering up the entrance again and looked at her. He brushed a strand of hair from her face trying to get a feel why he felt so connected to her. She stirred slightly in her sleep but didn't open her eyes. He noticed how cold she felt and as if sensing it she shivered. He pulled himself up next to her and gently without waking her, pulled her too him, wrapping his arms around her. Even if he didn't seem to remember, even if all of the things that had happened in recent days didn't seem okay, what he was doing here and now seemed more right than anything else. So he continued to hold her through the night as she slept, vowing to keep her safe until this was done and maybe even longer.

**I wrote this as I was watching Bourne Legacy for like the hundredth time. It never gets old! Enjoy and let me know what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I am once again inspired but chapter titles are becoming increasingly difficult. So please bear with me and enjoy!**

Chapter Five: Friend or Foe?

Lily's POV

She was having the nightmare again. It had always started the same with her being surrounded by fire, feeling the flames and having no escape. The ending however was always different. Sometimes she would wake up before she got out, sometimes she could feel the smoke chocking her and sometimes she would her someone saying her name ever so softly. This time she could feel the heat but knew something was off because she should be cold yet she felt a comforting heat that made her feel safe a relaxed. She knew she was dreaming knew she should be awake but couldn't wake herself. She was scared and knew she needed to run from something. She knew someone was beside her and that she should run but she couldn't make herself move. She felt a hand on her face and a voice softly calling her name. Her eyes flew open and she found herself once again starring into the eyes of a man she had thought dead. A man she had once trusted and loved with all her heart. A man that had been sent to kill her and yet here he was looking at her with such concern.

"Hey, Lily it's okay I'm not going to hurt you. You were having a bad dream." It took her a minute to remember that she was outside hiding and by all rights and purposes she should be afraid of him. Yet looking at him all she could see was the man she once loved and still did. She never really accepted that he was dead; she had always wished it had been a really bad dream but now here he was.

"How did you find me?" She asked in barely a whisper. She heard him take in a deep breath.

"Not really sure, I just kind of knew where to find you." She saw that he was struggling with something and she tried to pull away, but he held her tightly in place. "Please, don't move away." He pleaded "My memory is a bit up in the air and for some reason you are the only thing that seems familiar. I know your scared and I know you are confused on rather to trust me right now, but I need your help. It's the only way we will make it out of this alive."

"I don't know what I should believe right now. I just spent the last eighteen moths thinking you were dead. I watched you go over a ledge with Alex!" She shook her head. "I'm having a very hard time believing this is not a dream. That the last year and a half even happened!" He tried calming her down by rubbing his hands up and down her arm.

"Listen, I'm sorry, truly I am but I don't remember. All I know is they told me to take out a threat which is supposed to be you and I find I can't. There is something very wrong going on here. Things I don't understand, things Alex said that don't make sense. So please, let me keep you safe, help me figure this out." She looked at him for a long moment, gathering up all the courage she could muster. He looked at her patently waiting for her to respond when she answered.

"I cannot believe you forgot me yet again! Your memory issues really stink." At first he didn't know what to say. He looked at her blinking rapidly for a moment as if trying to process what she had just said.

"What?!" He asked confused. "This wasn't the first time?"

"Not exactly." She said shaking her head.

"Tell me." Aaron encouraged her. She shook her head as she tried to control the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes.

"I can't Aaron, I really can't. I'm sorry but the only way to completely break the reprograming they did on you is to remember. If I tell you it's not much better than what they did to you."

"How does that work? The reprograming, how do they do it?" He asked her

"I don't know the details but when they mess with your mind you become more assessable to suggestions. That's why it was so easy for them to convince you to kill me.' She said as she final pulled away curling up in a ball against the rock face. She shivered and Aaron reached for her again.

"But I'm not going to do that." He said as he once again pulled her to him. Even though she resisted she finally gave in. He folded her into his arms and she mentally kicked herself for reverting back into old habits. He had always made her feel safe and despite his memory issues he still had the instinct that he knew her. She tried very hard not to cry as he stroked her hair and whispered softly into her ear.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry you've had to live like this for so long. But we will get through this and I will do my hardest to remember you."

"I'll help you Aaron, but I'm afraid you won't like what you find out. I'm afraid I'm going to lose you again and I'm not sure I'll survive that again." After a few more minutes she drifted off into a restless sleep. It seemed like only minute later that she was awakened by the daylight that was filtering in through the branches. It took her a moment to regain her senses and she looked up to see that Aaron was still holding her but was sound asleep. Eighteen months had changed him in so many ways. She knew it had changed her as well but one thing still remanded. She still loved him.

She knew in this light their hiding place would soon be visible and Alex was still out there. She untangled herself from Aaron and crawled out into the morning air. The temperature was colder and she could see clouds gathering on the horizon. A storm was not far off and she needed to plan her next move. She needed to find shelter and fast. She stood and started to the river when she heard the unmistakable sound of someone walking up behind her. At first she though it was Aaron until she heard the unmistakable sound of a gun. Too afraid to turn around she felt the muzzle of the gun on the back of her neck and she froze.

"It looks like the little mouse has finally scurried from her hole." A voice said in her ear.

**More to come soon. Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the kind words. I'm glad you are enjoying this as much as I am enjoying reading this. And so it continues…**

Chapter Six: Decisions

Lily's POV

When she heard his voice it turned her blood cold. He sounded more unhinged then he had before. For a moment she just froze and tried to remember what she had been taught in the self-defense course. She dropped her whole weight down only to have him jerk her up soles stomped as hard as she could on the insole of his foot, at the same time she threw her head back connecting with his nose, which made a sickening crunch. He bellowed out in pain and she was thrown to the ground. When she brought herself to her feet, Aaron was standing over him with his hand around his throat. Alex was bleeding from the nose and his eyes were full of rage.

"Come on brother, what is stopping you? Prove to them that they can turn you into a mindless killer." Aaron's eyes darkened for a moment and as Lily stood she said to him.

"Aaron, this is not you. Don't let them win. Don't prove him right." She was pleading with him. "Aaron please, you have to fight this reprograming."

"Listen to your girlfriend Cross. You just might learn something yet." He said sarcastically. Aaron loosened up on him and hauled him to his feet.

"If you ever touch her again, I will not hesitate." He growled and then pulled back his fist, hitting him square in the face, knocking Alex out. Lily looked from Alex's unconscious body to Aaron looking down at his own hands with a look of confusing in his eyes. Lily finally found her voice.

"Well, that's one way." Aaron looked up at her just then and took a step too her. She slightly retracted unconscious ably and he stopped. She still wasn't one hundred percent sure about any of this. She read the hurt in his eyes when she had moved away so she gave herself a big, swift kick in the pants and walked toward him looking down where Alex lay.

"Now what do we do with him?" He just looked at her and raised his eyebrow at her as he bent down to retrieve whatever weapons were on him.

"What do you suggest?"

"I don't know. Is he dead? You didn't kill him did you?"

"No I didn't kill him."

"Shouldn't we poke him with a stick or something to make sure?"

"I am not going to poke him with a stick. What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know! It's how I deal." Aaron just shook his head trying to hide a bit of a smile which she caught. It was good to see some of the old Aaron back.

"Not that funny Bubba." She said with a smile. She let out a small laugh before he said anything.

"I'm not the one who broke his nose with my head."

"No technically his big old nose got in the way. Besides if invested as much time in anger management as he does in trying to take me out, he would be a whole lot happier." She glanced down at Alex's still form and continued. "I hate to be a damper on this fun little party but we might want to get moving. You know what they say about poking a bear with a stick." Aaron stepped over Alex and they turned to walk away.

"I'm not the one who wanted to use the stick."

"All right, someone's a comedian today aren't we?"

"You're a handful, aren't you?" Aaron asked her as they started moving before the river.

"So I've been told." The wind had started to pick up and Lily looked to the sky. "We need to get moving. That storm is not far off and I want to be as far away from him before it hits." Aaron looked around before he asked.

"What did you have in mind?" She gave him a little smile before she answered

"Oh I have an idea but we need to get across the river." Aaron seemed to roll his eyes as he added.

"You don't like it easy, do you?"

"Nope!" She firmly stated. "Where's the fun in that." They had walked up stream getting away from Alex as quickly as they could. Lily really didn't want to be around when he woke up. To say he would be angry would be an understatement.

"Can I ask you a strange question?' Aaron suddenly asked.

"Sure." When he didn't elaborate she turned to look at him. "What is it?" He seemed to be at a loss for words until she stepped closer. "Aaron?" She asked him again.

"Okay, I keep getting these flashes of memory that don't make sense and I have this one that keeps popping up and I'm not sure what to think of it."

"Okay, well tell me." He looked at her so unsure and he cleared his throat

"Did I get hit in the head with a frying pan?" Lily tried to laugh out load. He was so serious and had no idea.

"A what? That's silly. Why would you think that?" He had to bit the inside of her mouth to keep from smiling, which was becoming increasingly difficult.

"I have this very disturbing memory of a pan being swung at my head on more than one occasion." Lily looked at him strangely

"I really don't know what you are talking about. What did they do to your head anyway Cross? A frying pan, really?" Aaron took a step closer

"I think there's a story here somewhere."

"Nope, no story here." She said as she turned away and kept walking. She could hear a chuckle from Aaron as he soon followed suit.

They had been walking a few more minutes when the silence of the forrest was broken with the bellow of a very angry individual.

"He doesn't sound happy." Lily stated and then she heard the trees and bushes around her seemed to come alive. Both of them immediately crouched in the undergrowth.

"That can't be him already can it?" Lily asked Aaron.

"He's fast. Too fast." Aaron whispered back. He then grabbed her arm and wheeled her to the river. "Listen to me, I will lead him away, you get across that river and don't wait for me."

"Are you crazy, I won't leave you here?!" Aaron took her face in his hands and lightly kissed her forehead.

"Go, I will find you. Just get yourself safe." With that he gently pushed her in the direction he needed her to go. She went a few feet and turned to look back to see him watching her.

"Hey, you better find me."

"Don't I always." He answered her. She then went to the river. She then found what she thought was a shallow place to cross and stepped down the bank only to have the ground beneath her suddenly collapse and as she fell she was able to grasp a branch before she plunged head first into the raging river below. She swung her legs up and over the branch hanging there like a wind sock in the ever increasing wind. Her thought at that moment was "Really, you have got to be kidding me!"

**Okay, I know the pan thing is a bit over down and this is the last time. I have a friend who really loves that bit so this is for you BJ. Enjoy and frying pan you served me well but now it is time to RIP. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. Thanks for sticking with me.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, I have seen the errors of my ways. This is why I love hearing from everyone. I love people opinions. So If I can find a way the frying pan to make reappearance, I will try to work it in. Thanks so much for you reviews and please keep it coming**

Chapter Seven: River Crossing

Aaron's POV

Aaron watched as she disappeared in the undergrowth. One minute she had been there and the next he had watched her pretty little head disappear over the bank. She truly had a bad knack of getting herself into trouble. She handled it well, but she seemed to be a magnet. If their current situation wasn't so dire, it might be funny. He loved that she seemed so fearless at time.

He ran over to where she had disappeared, careful to make sure Alex wasn't in the immediate area and he peered over the edge. Lily had her arms and legs wrapped around a branch that was hanging over the very deep, very cold and very fast moving water. Her eyes were closed and she shifted, tightening her grip. She seemed to muttering to herself.

He tried to get her attention without alerting Alex to their where abouts. When she finally opened her eyes a spark of relief could be read in her eyes. He signaled her not to speak and to stay where she was at. She shot him an "Are you kidding look" and tightened her grip. Aaron then moved away, staying close to the ground trying to get a visual on Alex. Not far from the river bank, he found a trail of blood. Presumably from Alex's nose. She really had done a number on him. One thing Aaron had learned about Lily was that she was a fighter, which was one of the many things he loved about her. He gave his head a mental shake. Love?! Did he love her? It felt right as if he had for a long time. She wouldn't say how they knew each other but when he was near her it was as if they had known each other their whole lives.

He followed the blood trail deep into the woods and then it seemed to have disappeared. Aaron back tracked a bit but was unable to pick up the trail again. Alex was still out there but he didn't seem too much of a threat at the moment. He needed to go rescue Lily again and find shelter. A storm was starting to settle in and being out in the open was not an option.

He made his way back to the river bank and looked over the side where he had left her only to find her gone. He panicked for a moment and started looking up and down the stream. Thinking she had fallen in he was getting ready to run up stream when movement in the middle of the river caught his attention. Lily was in the process of swimming across the stream. Was this woman determined to get herself killed? Not only was the water frigid to the point of possible hypothermia, but the undertow was extremely strong. How she was able to stay afloat was beyond him.

Aaron had to run down stream in order to find a safe way for him to cross. He had to get to her before she drowned herself. When he found a place that was shallow enough, he started to move across. Even though the water only came to his knees but he could still feel the bit of the cold and the current almost knocked his feet off from under him. As he walked to the middle of the stream, he looked to where Lily was. He couldn't find her for a moment and then he saw her clinging to a rock in the middle. Water rushing around her and she looked almost too tired to move. He was about to dive in and swim when she suddenly let go. Her head went under water for a moment and then he spotted it as she fought to keep her head above water. The current was carrying her further downstream and away from him. Then he noticed the current seemed to be bringing her closer to the opposite shore line. He was more than half way across by this time; Lily on the other hand was whipped into a branch from a low lying tree. He cringed when she came to a jarring stop and seemed to have to catch her breath. One he was across he ran to her and helped her up. She was soaking wet and shivering. He half picked her up and brought her to an overhang on trees to get her out of the wind. Her teeth were chattering and she was shivering uncontrollably. He took his coat off, removed her back pack, which weighed a ton, and wrapped it around her. He ran his hands up and down her arms to try and warm her up.

"Dry cccloths in bbbag." She tried to say. Aaron looked in her eyes to see if she was okay first. "Okay" She managed to say as if reading his thoughts. He bent to retrieve what she needed and after a bit rummaging, found what he needed.

"So what happened?" He asked her as she ducked behind some bushes to change.

"I fell." She simply stated.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out." He could hear she snort a laugh. "You are alright though, right?" He asked her.

"Yeah, this is normal for me."

"This is normal?"

"Well for me it is." She stepped out fully clothed in dry clothing, but her lips still had a blue tint to them.

"We need to get you someplace warm. You said there is shelter nearby?"

"Yes, we just have to make it to the seasonal road. Hey you're wet too." She said as she noticed the bottom of his pants.

"Well I'm not the one who decided to go swimming." He said with a smile. "No worries though, I'm water proofed." He lifted her bag and gestured for her to go ahead of him. "So what else have you got in this bag?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Basically everything I need."

"Well, we're going to need it."

"We need to make it to the seasonal road." Snow started to come down quickly as they left the river behind them so they picked up their pace. They had been walking for a bit when Lily let out a laugh. This caused Aaron to smile. She was constantly surprising him.

"What is it" He asked her.

"Funny story, there was a bridgeless than half a mile from where I had fallen in." This caused him to smile again and he too let out a little laugh. That was when they rounded the corner and Lily said.

"There's our shelter" Then it was Aaron's turn to say

"Are you kidding me?"

**Thanks for the support!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for reading and so it continues….**

Chapter Eight: Shelter

Lily's POV

She was cold, tired and really wanted to get off this mountain. She had been chased, shot at, grabbed from behind and almost drowned in a river. Now she was trying to find shelter before she was buried beneath the raging snow storm that would be bearing down on them at any minute. Snow had already started to swirl around them and the wind had picked up considerably. She never thought she would get to her shelter but then just like that, there it was her salvation. Hidden beneath an over growth of trees, not too far from a back seasonal road.

When she had presented it to Aaron his response was "Are you kidding me?", which in hind sight seemed to be the best response. She didn't think it was that bad but then she had only expected her to be hiding out. She had enough supply's to last the two of them a while, that wasn't the issue. It was the space they would have to share. The tiny space they would have to share for a few days. Normally this wouldn't bother her but lately she had issues with being in closed spaces for very long. The fact that she would feel trapped with a man who didn't know her any more was going to be very interesting indeed. Not that there was much of a choice but it is what it is she told herself. She looked up at him and watched the play of emotions on his face, mostly confusion.

"Well, I suppose it could be worse. It could be another cave." She stated remembering the time they had on an island not so long ago. He looked at her with surprise.

"Another?!" He asked, apparently something else that he didn't remember. It was hard for her to meet his eyes. She hated the fact he didn't remember her or what they had gone through. She knew it wasn't really his fault, he was trying, this she knew. She was more angry at them for doing what they had done and mostly at herself because she had made it all happened. She felt herself tense up and she blew out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Another story for another time." She said as she walked to their temporary home. She was half way there when she stopped realizing Aaron was not following her. Instead he was standing where she had left him with an unreadable look on his face. She was about to question him when he spoke.

"You're angry, aren't you?" He asked in a gentle voice. He then started to walk to her and when he was right in front of her he stopped. When she wouldn't meet his eye, he used his fore finger and thumb to lift her chin so that she would look at him. "You're angry" It was more of a statement this time rather than a question. Then he continued. "You're angry because I'm not remembering things I should. I'm not remembering you." A tear had escaped the corner of her eye as her eyes started to well up. He used his thumb to brush it away never taking his eyes off her. She swallowed passed the lump that had stuck in her throat before she answered.

"It's not you I'm mad at; it's myself and this whole situation. I don't know what I should think or do or even believe anymore."

"I still say you're angry with me and that's okay. It's obvious we had something once. Something strong and good. Something they are trying to take away from us. I for one am not going to let them win." He brushed a piece of hair from her face causing her to shiver. "Now I suggest we get into your idea of a shelter before this storm gets any worse." She so badly wanted to stay angry, because the anger was what had kept her going for the last eighteen months, but she found she suddenly didn't have the energy any more. Without responding, she turned from him and fished the keys out from under the wheel well and unlocked the door to the white Ford Escape that stood before her. Kind of ironic that it was an escape since that was what it was meant for. An escape from all of this.

They entered the vehicle. She in the passenger side and he in the driver's seat. She sat there staring out the window while Aaron started the car turning the heat on full blast. She watched the snow come down covering the ground. Her original intention was to make it at least part way down the mountain but the current white out conditions were making it impossible. She turned to watch Aaron who was staring straight ahead seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He seemed to sense her staring and turned to look at her.

"So what's next?" He asked her breaking the silence.

"Not sure, you're usually the one with the plan" She answered him. "I didn't really expect to be stuck up here in the middle of the storm."

"The man with the plan." He said with a smile which caused her to smile in return.

"You remembered that?" She asked him remembering herself.

"Yeah, I think I did. It was just kind of there."

"So what else do you remember?" She asked him.

"I remember being on a boat."

"So things are coming back slowly. That's good." She said suddenly feeling a bit lighter. If he was remembering little things like that then the rest wouldn't be far off.

"So how long do you think we will be here? I would hate to still be stuck here with Alex not too far away."

"Oh don't worry too much about him. He won't be going anywhere soon. He is nursing a badly broken nose. We'll just wait out the storm and decide what to do then. In the mean time you should try to get some sleep. We're going to be here a while." He grabbed a blanket from the back seat and covered her with it. "I'll keep watch for a little while if that will make you feel better." She wrapped the blanket around her and laid her head back against the seat without an argument mainly because she was too tired to protest.

"Hey Aaron." She said a few minutes later. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." He said as he brushed the hair once again from her face as she finally fell into a restful sleep. "Me too."

**Thanks for reading and please review. I love reading what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you, so much for reading. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks.**

Chapter Nine: Waiting out the Storm

Aaron's POV

Aaron was having a dream, he knew he was having one and he couldn't wake himself up. The pictures in his mind were moving too fast and he was having a hard time catching up. He saw a lab and machines around him. He could hear the hum of the equipment, the next minute he saw a large body of water and he was one the boat. He could even feel the movement as it gently rocked back and forth. The next picture he saw was a fire. He could hear the flames crackle and then he saw her, in fact Lily was in every one of those picture. Either she was holding his hand, telling him everything was alright or calling out his name. Then he had a sudden sense of loss as she was being ripped away from him. He tried to hold on to her, to get to her but she seemed to pull further away. Suddenly he woke up with a start, looking around it took her a minute to remember where he was and then he looked to the right of him. She was still there. His Lily still sounds asleep. Suddenly he realized those dreams had been memories trying to come back and a lot of it had to do with her. She suddenly woke up as if sensing him watching her. She blinked a couple of times to gain her bearings and looked at him.

"Hey Aaron, you okay?" She asked him sleepily.

"I remember saving you from a fire when we were kids." He told her, she looked almost relived and a tear sprung to her eyes. He reached over and brushed it away. She strengthened and turned to the window trying to hide the rest of her tears.

"Lily, look at me" She turned to face him, her eyes red rimed with tears. "It's okay Sweetheart, don't cry." He then pulled her into his lap, cradling her to him as if she were a child. She clung to the front of his shirt sobbing uncontrollable. He held her tight against him stroking her hair as if she were a child. He didn't know what to say or what to do so he just held her. After a while she settled down and she finally looked up at him.

"I'm sorry; it's just been eighteen months. I thought you had died. I watched as you went over a cliff, and then you were back with no memory it was like losing you all over again." She lay he head back down on his shoulder and he rubbed her back.

"I know, and I did try to get back to you on the island. I remember trying to fight them, fight what they were doing to me and then they told me you were gone. I didn't believe them but I had a moment, just a moment when I thought they might be right. My life ended in that moment and they used that." He hugged her and thought about changing the subject as he started out into the white wall of snow that was barreling down on them. After a minute he decided to break the silence.

"So since we got the time, why don't we try to get to know each other better? If I remember correctly our time together has involved a lot of running." She laughed a little and he felt her relax a bit more.

"Okay." She said "what do you want to know?"

"Well, let's start with middle names. That's important I always knew I was in trouble when I heard mine, which is James by the way."

"It suits you. James is a strong name and to answer you question, you already know mine." She looked up at him to see a questionable look on his face. "Lily is my middle name. My mother was the only one that ever used my real name."

"Yeah." He said looking down at her "So what is it?" She sighed a big sigh before she answered.

"Here's the deal, if I tell you, you are never to use it, ever. If you do you will really be reintroduced to the frying pan, which I know you now remember." He chuckled.

"Come on, it can't be that bad, can it?"

"It's Isolde Lily. My mom was Irish and its and old Irish name which means beautiful. That or rules over the ice, which ever nationality you look at and due to our current situation, that one seems more appropriate." Aaron didn't know rather to laugh or not. He was almost afraid to until she spoke up. "You not saying anything tells me you know how bad it really is."

"No, no it really has a pretty sound to it. Isolde Lily, I kind of like it." She snorted.

"No it really doesn't, I don't know what my mother was thinking."

"I think she was looking at her beautiful new born daughter and named her accordingly." She sat up again and looked at him with annoyance. "What?" He asked her.

"Try going to kindergarten with that name." He chuckled

"That bad, huh."

"Miserable, half of my teachers didn't even know how to pronounce it correctly." They went back to a comfortable silence for a few minutes before she broke the silence.

"It looks like the snow is starting to slow down. How long has it been?"

"About twenty four hour. I don't think we are going to drive out of this. How far away is the town from here?" He asked her.

"Walking about a day's walk, but in this it will take longer."

"Okay, we will wait until day light which is a few hours off and then we are going to have to hike our way out. Alex is still out there and I'm worried if we don't report back in they will send more agents to make sure the job is done. I need to keep you safe." The urgency in their situation came back in full force. They had still expected her to be killed and he needed to end this once and for all. She had a sudden worried look and he needed to get her mind on other things.

"So we need to get supplies ready. What do you have in here?" A smile suddenly lite up her face. She crawled into the back seat and to the trunk area where she lifted the bottom out to reveal any kind of supply you could imagine. He looked at her with his eyebrows raised and she sat there with the proudest look she could muster.

"What don't you have darling?"

"I have everything you can imagine." She smiled at him and as he too crawled in the back and looked in he realized she did have anything you could think of.

"I didn't know you were a boy scout." He said to her with a smile.

"I wasn't, I just learned from the best."

They set to work building up packs that would last them for a few days and with a few hours left they decided to try to get a little more sleep and lay in the back seat stretched out. He pulled her to him and wrapped them both up in a blanket. He felt peaceful for the first time in a long time and he felt her relax as well. He could feel her breathing even out and just before she went back to sleep he said to her.

"So technically your name is beautiful lily. Kind of cute." He felt her jab at his ribs which made him chuckle and as she rested he let his mind formulate a plan to get them home to safety.

**Please let me know what you think**


	11. Chapter 11

**And so it continues….**

Chapter Ten: Down the Mountain Side

Lily's POV

It had seemed that she had just gone to sleep in Aaron's warm embrace when she was awakened again. Maybe it was the absence of the howling wind, or the fact that the gray darkness in the sky had lessened. Whatever it was she silently wished it hadn't woke her. She felt safe, secure and happy. Happier then she had been in a long time. She didn't want it to end but the truth was they were still in danger. She was glad he remembered, so glad in fact she cried like a baby. Relief was more like it, relief that they were together. She could almost forget the last eighteen months had even happened, almost. She looked up into Aaron's sleeping face. He seemed relaxed and content as if he didn't have a care in the world. This is how it should be waking up next to the person you love. Too bad all their time together had been spent running and getting shot at. It had to end soon, somehow or other it just had to end.

As if sensing her watching him, he slowly opened his eyes and gave her a smile.

"Now that's something I like waking up to." He then gave her a long lingering kiss. "So as much as I like this we really do need to get going." He said a few minutes later.

"I know. I'm just not ready to move yet." She said hugging him tightly. She could feel his hand in her hair as he gently stroked it.

"I know sweetheart. Tell you what, when this is all done, I'll take you on vacation, anywhere you want."

"Anywhere?" She said with a mischievous grin. He looked down at her questionably.

"I don't like that look. What does that look mean?"

"Oh nothing I was thinking maybe skiing in Aspen, you know with all the snow." She said barely able to control a giggle.

"Skiing she says, Aspen she wants. You would think she had enough of all snow, I've given her plenty. And as for skiing I think I can arrange that." He said with a smile. She laughed at him before she continued.

"I know how much you love the cold." She said sarcastically. "So how are we going to get out of here? I don't know as if the car is going to make it down."

"Well I thought we might give it a try and then we will have to go on foot from there. The good news is we left Alex on the other side of the river." He said as they climbed back into the front seat. "The bad news is he is still out there and I want to put as much distance as I can between us." Aaron started the car and it lurched forward. It was going to be very slow going. The snow was rather deep but the sun had come out casting a glow over the freshly fallen blanket of white. They were able to make it to the seasonal road and had started to ease their way down the mountain. Aaron had gotten them stuck a few times but with a little maneuvering, he was able to get them out.

After a bit of silence he finally spoke up to ease the tension.

"So where would you go?" He asked her. She looked at him questionably.

"What?" She asked him which earned her on of those weak-in-the-knee-grins.

"On vacation, where would you go?" He asked her looking over at her as she tucked a strain of her hair behind her ear.

"Oh, well I've always thought about going home. I haven't been there since my parents passed and I really don't remember much about it."

"So where is home exactly?" He asked. "I don't think we ever talked about that.

"Shannon Ireland in County Clare. My parents owned a small cottage there. It was the one thing my uncle could never get his hands on."

"Sounds really nice. Whatever did happen to your parents?"

"I don't know really. My uncle never talked about it and I was so young I don't really remember." She suddenly seemed to have a far off look on her face and before he could ask she continued. "My sister loved Ireland, everything about it but she was never able to go. I never felt right going without her so I never made the journey." He reached over a squeezed her hand. She grasped it and squeezed back.

"Well maybe it's time. Time to live your life." She gave him a smile and knew in her heart he was right. She turned her head to look back out at the scene before her. It truly was beautiful here. She was just about to tell him so when she noticed something ran in front of the vehicle.

"Aaron!" She shouted and she could feel the tension fill the air as he spiked the break. This was a big mistake because it caused the vehicle to fish tail and slide on the ice. The momentum kept the car sliding forward. Aaron struggled to get the car under control but couldn't. The impact wasn't as hard as she expected but jarring none the less. The airbag deploying in her face was more painful. When the car finally had stopped moving the front was resting against a tree with half of the windshield and front end in their laps. She turned to look at Aaron.

"Are you alright?" She asked him concerned. He had hit is head and a trickle of blood was running down the side of his face from a cut above his eye.

"Yeah, you?"

"I think so. What was that?"

"I'm not sure but I don't want to wait around to find out." Just as she started to answer the car door was jerked open and she was pulled from the vehicle roughly. She saw Aaron's face twist with fury as she was being dragged toward the ditch in the road. That was when she heard the helicopter hovering in the air above them. She saw Aaron run to her, felt her captor throw her in the ditch just as the car exploded in a hail of bullets.

**Yeah I know another cliff hanger. It's what I do best. Enjoy and please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**So as Irish decent my dream vacation is to go there. Since I haven't been there yet, this is the only way to travel. So enjoy and thanks so much for all of the kind words and encouragement. **

Chapter Eleven: Unwanted Company

Aaron's POV

The impact of the car was jarring and even though he braced for it, his head still bounced off the steering wheel. His first thought was Lily's safety; his second thought was what or who had run in front of the car. At first he thought it might have been an animal but once he looked at Lily and saw the fear in her eyes as her door was flung open and she was pulled from the vehicle, he knew different. He dove from the vehicle and came around to grab Lily from the one person he didn't want to have her, Alex.

He was just about to reach them when he heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter hovering above them. He glanced up and noticed the helicopter circle around their position and then the gun fire started. He ducked and ran over to where Alex had thrown Lily in a roadside ditch. He had just reached coverage when the car they had just been in exploded. The force of the blast knocked him to his knees and left a ringing in his ears. He looked around to try and get his bearings and was able to spot Lily struggling through the smoke. Someone coughed and he heard Lily call his name.

"Aaron" He heard another voice shush her and saw her struggle with him. Aaron charged toward her at that moment, pushing the other person to the ground. He grabbed Lily by the hand and hulled her to her feet and ran up the mountain. Going up the mountain meant more coverage and less of a change of those in the helicopter finding them.

At that moment he didn't think, he just reacted. Alex finding them was one thing but those who ran the Facility was another matter altogether. He would not and could not ever go back and he wouldn't allow them to take her either. Blindly he ran through the snow, pulling her along. At one point she fell in the high snow drifts and he picked her up half carrying her. He could still hear the helicopter overhead but at the moment they couldn't find them due to the heavy overgrowth he had taken them to. If they stayed to the trees they might have a fighting chance. He knew the helicopter was not only looking for them but also looking for a place to land, which meant who knows how many other agents were in the air.

"Aaron, Aaron we need to stop." Lily said through gasping breaths.

"Sorry Sweetheart but we've got to keep going." He continued to half carry, half drag her until she pulled away from him and he turned to her in surprise. She collapsed in the snow on her knees. He went to her bending over her grabbing her arm intending to help her up but she didn't move. "Listen, I know you're tired, but we have to keep moving. I will carry you out of her if I have to but I'm not going…" He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed how pale she was. "Lily what is it?" He asked her suddenly alarmed.

"My leg." She answered him weakly. He looked down and for the first time noticed the blood stain on her right leg just above the knee cap and he noticed the piece if metal protruding from it. It wasn't very big, shrapnel from the explosion. It was about two inches in diameter and about an inch from the top of her leg. What bothered him was the amount of blood she seemed to be losing which meant that it was in there quite deep. He looked around to see if there was a place her could hide her and patch her up.

"Aaron, you have to go. I'm just slowing you down." There were tears in her eyes when she looked up at him and it just about tore him apart.

"There is not a snowballs chance that I am leaving you."

"They will find you, you need to get away. Just go!" She tried to push him away and he just bent down and scooped her up as if she were a child. Holding her close to his chest he could hear her sobbing from fear and desperation. He found a small grove of trees with a hiding spot much like the one they had spent their first night on the mountain in. He set her down on a bed of pine needles that had fallen throughout the year. The snow hadn't gotten in and it was relatively dry.

"Aaron, they're going to follow our foot prints. They are going to find us here, you have to leave now!"

"You listen to me because I am going to only say this one more time." He was only a breath away from her face. "I am not going to leave you. We are in this together, the whole way." Then he kissed her. It was a quick one but one with meaning and determination. He pulled away and looked into her blue eyes once again. Blue eyes that held fear but also a strong will. He knew she wouldn't give up but he had to push her that she would not do it alone. Not anymore. "Listen, I'm going to have to try and stop the bleeding. I can't take it out because it might be stopping some of the blood flow, so I'm going to wrap around it." She nodded her head

"I have an emergency first aid kit in the left pocket of my coat." She told him as she moved to where he could get to it. This made him smile and he kissed her forehead.

"That's my girl, always prepared."

"I learned from the best." She said returning a ghost of a smile and then winced as she shifted her leg.

"Okay, try not to move." He told her as he retrieved what he needed and set to work binding her leg. Once he had wrapped it tightly she spoke once again.

"Aaron, why did Alex pull me from the car?"

"I don't know Sweetheart, I assume to hurt you." She shook her head

"No, if he wanted me dead he would have just left me there. He threw himself on top of me when the car exploded."

"I'm not so sure about that one. He has been trying to kill us for the last two years."

"I think his program is starting to break down. Some of his humanity might be pushing through."

"You really think that a life time of programing and he still has his humanity left? I'm more apt to think he needs a bargaining chip. He gives them us and he goes free."

"That's a possibility too but I still think something is going on in his head. He seems more irrational now, more impulsive. Something's not quite right."

"That maybe but we still need to get out of here. Can you stand up?" He asked her as she grabbed him and he helped her to her feet. Supporting her with his arm wrapped around her waist he once again half carried her out into the snow once again. When they came into the clearing they were meant with three heavily armed agents with stony looks on their face and the one man who Aaron Cross had hoped he would never see again. A man who by right should be in prison this very minute, the one man responsible for training him and creating him. He was very dangerous, very lethal and willing to complete a mission at any cost.


	13. Chapter 13

**So sorry it took me a while, I had an incredible busy week and just was able to sit down to this. So I decided to sneak in another character from the movie. Edward Norton played such a good bad guy I just needed the perfect opportunity to work him in. So here it is and please let me know what you think.**

Chapter Twelve: Redemption

Lily's POV

Lily knew who he was the moment she saw him. He was by far scarier than Alex and much more dangerous. Eric Byler stood in front of them with a look of pure hated.

Lily felt Aaron tighten his grip on her and his tension begin to rise. Byler took a step toward them and Aaron moved to put himself so that he was standing in front of her. She could barely stand on her leg so she was gripping Aaron's arm as tightly as she could.

"The two of you have made my day very difficult." Byler said with a sneer. "Now that play time is over, it's time for you to complete your mission Cross." He was seeing if their initial programing was still somewhat intact.

"I'm not." Aaron said through clenched teeth. Byler seemed to be relaxed. Hands in his pocket with an over confident smile on his face. Lily knew him from her time at the facility and hadn't liked him then. He was one of the one's in charge and he was the one who gave all the orders. Not many crossed him and if they did they didn't live to tell about it. If fact several other outcome agents had either completely disappeared or had been killed by his hand. Aaron had always seemed to be his pet project so it was safe to say Eric would not let this go.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean? You're a soldier and I gave you an order, so do your job!" Byler's confidence was starting to waver having his prize disobey him was almost too much for him to swallow.

"You don't control me anymore." Aaron reached behind him and pulled her closer and she tightened her grip even more. This did not go unnoticed by Byler who smiled that "Gotcha" smile. He looked as if he was the cat that had just swallowed the canary. He was coming up with ways to use her.

"Really. You don't think I can control you?" Maybe your right Cross, but then again maybe I don't have the right leverage." At that moment Lily was suddenly ripped away from Aaron and someone pulled her to them and a gun was at her head.

"Looks like I finally caught me a little mouse." Alex said in a voice close to her ear. She stiffened and tried to move away but with her leg and Alex's grip she couldn't get away. Aaron wasn't sure where to point the gun he had just pulled at Alex or Eric.

"What now Cross? What's your next move solider?" Byler taunted him. "Now I suggest you put the weapon down or I'm going to release my dog on her." He said gesturing in Alex's direction. The difference in Alex's grip at that moment was so slight that she didn't think it had actually happened, until she saw the slight flicker in Aaron's eyes. If she was right Alex, didn't like Byler referring to him as his dog and if his program was breaking down then maybe they could sway him to their side. Crazy thought, she knew but it might just be worth a try. She felt the gun waver at her head so she decided to take action.

"How does it feel to lose control Byler?" He stiffened when she spoke, his eyes shooting her a deadly glare. She had hit a nerve!

"You keep quiet! You have caused me quite a disturbance, a mess that has become rather bothersome to deal with."

"How does it feel to have everything you've worked so hard for slowly fade away? Tell them how you medicated them without their knowledge, how you took them from their families and tried to create your own private army." Eric pulled gun then and pointed it at her.

"Keep it shut or I will help you." He knew he was losing control of everything, which made him desperate.

"Alright Byler have it your way." Aaron said as he leaned down at that moment, dropping his gun and slowly stood up with his hands in the air.

"Now that's a good man. You see Dr. Carmichael maybe you don't know as much as you think you do." He motioned to his other agents to take them. When they got near to Aaron he took action. He opened a knife which he had hidden in the sleeve of his jacket. He threw it at one of the agents hitting him square in the chest bringing him down. The second agent was brought down in a matter of seconds and Lily felt herself being lifted and thrown over into a snow bank. She rolled for a bit down a small incline and when she stopped she sat up. Everything up on top was silent, too silent. She managed to drag her useless leg and hid behind a tree. She peeked around and saw both Aaron and Alex running at her full speed. She stepped out from behind the tree when they approached her each one taking an arm and half carrying her deeper into the woods.

"We've got to go, now" Aaron said as he hurried her away.

"What did the two of you do?" She asked them as they ducked behind an outcrop of rocks.

"Your girlfriends always ask so many questions Cross?" Alex asked as they crouched down and she shot him a dirty look.

"Listen I'm a bit confused and concerned at the moment because not too long ago you tried to kill us." Aaron grabbed her hand and squeezed just as an explosion rocked the mountain side. Pieces of the plane shot up in the air and came crashing down into the snow and smoke filled the air. When the air settled down a bit Lily looked between the two of them before she asked,

"Okay, what did you do?"

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you so much for your kind words and thank you for reading. I'm so glad so many of you are enjoying this. And so it continues…**

Chapter Thirteen: A Shocking Revelation

Aaron's POV

"Okay, what did you do?" Lily asked him. She looked between him and Alex trying to figure out what had really just happened. He wasn't entirely sure himself one minute Alex was trying to kill them, the next minute he was trying to save their lives. He looked over at Alex as if to get any kind of confirmation but his gaze was fixated on the point where the explosion had just taken place.

"I'm not entirely sure myself but I believe our friend here threw a grenade into the helicopter. I'm still not entirely sure where he found one though."

"You found my stock pile, didn't you?" Lily was glaring at Alex. "How did you find it anyway, it should have been buried in a cave in?" Alex smiled at her with a smile that was both mischievous and creepy at the same time.

"What stock pile are you talking about?" Aaron asked. He didn't like the look on Alex's face.

"Your girlfriend has quite the collection of weapons she has stashed on this mountain. I was lucky enough to find it." Aaron looked at her.

"Is this true?" He asked her questionable. This would have been nice to have known a while ago.

"Yes, but what he didn't tell you was that it had been buried by a cave in. I haven't been able to get to it in months. Which makes me wonder how he managed it?"

"Wasn't very hard." He said with a wicked little laugh.

"Hey Alex, why don't I come over there and fix your nose for you!" Lily replied and got a dirty look from him in return. His nose was still rather crooked, swollen and purple from where she had broken it earlier.

"Alright tiger I think you have done enough damage to his nose for one day. Besides you need to save your strength." Aaron had noticed how pale she had grown from not only exhaustion but also from lack of blood. The wound in her leg bothered him. If you couldn't get her off this mountain she could lose her leg or worse. She winced as she moved to get in a more comfortable position. He pulled her to him as he franticly tried to plan their next move. In the explosion Byler had gotten away which meant before long the mountain side would be covered with agents and the chance of survival would drastically shrink.

"Any great idea's brother?" Alex suddenly asked breaking his thought process. "Watching the two of you is starting to give me indigestion."

"I'm serious Aaron let me help him fix his nose!" Lily bit back.

"Okay enough you two, we need to work on getting out of here. Byler is not going to stay down for long. By the way Alex what suddenly changed your mind? Why are you even here?" Alex suddenly held up his hand before he answered.

"We have to move first brother." They both helped Lily to her feet and when Alex tried to help her along Aaron suddenly became possessive. He didn't like Alex's sudden interest in her and at the moment she was too weak to fight back. She seemed to be growing weaker by the moment. Alex seemed to notice Aaron's tightening grip on Lily and noticed Alex's smug grin of satisfaction. He was trying to bate him and it was working only too well.

"Aaron we need to go back to the river." Lily started to say. "If we follow the river it turns into a small lake. That's where the stash of weapons are, in a cave and if he made it in there is also a way to contact my CIA contact."

"You have a CIA contact?" They had started to make their way back to the river as she had directed, Alex shaking his head in disgust.

"Yes, his name is Charles Mitchell and he was the agent that helped me when you disappeared with what's his name over here." Alex made a noise of discuss. "What's the problem Alex? You are the one who has been trying to kill us after all."

"Mitchell is a joke and if he is our chance of survival I'm not very confident we will make it out of here alive." This statement caused Aaron to look at him closely for a minute and he tried to figure out why Alex was suddenly helping them.

"What do you mean by "we"? Are you suddenly helping us now? Why the drastic change of heart?" He didn't answer at first and conveniently looked away.

"Let's contact this Agent Mitchell first. We are almost to the cave."

After a while they finally came to the river and they followed it up stream to where it opened up to a small lake. A slight climb later, which proved to be difficult for Lily and they found the cave that she had said, collapsed several months before.

"Okay how did you get in?" Aaron asked Alex.

"In the back." He said as he directed them to an area in the back of the cave. True to his word there was an opening that led into the cave. Aaron set Lily down just inside the entrance and gestured to the inside of the cave.

"Okay Alex, show me the way." Alex took a deep breath and without a word started into the cave. Before he got too far in however Lily spoke to him.

"Who was she?" Alex froze in his spot and without turning around he responded.

"Who?"

"Oh come on Alex, the one you're in love with. Who is she?" He slow turned back to look at her and didn't answer so she continued. "I figured with your programing breaking down and I never understood why you came after us. Then I remembered how you were before all of this started. Did they threaten her and this was your retaliation or did they order it?" Alex took a deep breath and for the first time Aaron noticed a difference in him. He seemed defeated, as if the fight had finally left him. Then he spoke.

"Her name was Sarah and yes they threatened her. They told me I had to kill everyone in the lab and when I did they told me about you brother. They said you had killed her and then it had escalated. I became determined to end it all, get them to pay and get my life back. Agents are not allowed to fall in love and this is why. Emotions are in the way, they get you hurt or killed. It gives them leverage."

"So what did happen to her?" Aaron asked him

"I don't really know. I didn't even really remember much until she hit me in the nose." Alex answered turning toward Lily.

"Sarah was my sister's name." Lily answered with sadness in her eyes. Aaron remembered how hard it was for her when her sister had died so many years before. Then Alex said something that shocked both of them to the core.

"I know. The two of you have the same eyes….

**Dun, dun, dun… yes another cliff hanger. Let me know what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**So my last chapter went in a completely different direction then I originally had planned. My original though was for our two brothers to be dealing with their mother. Instead it took on a life of its own which in resulted an extra chapter and a daring twist. So enjoy and please let me know what you think. **

Chapter Fourteen: Sacrifice

Lily's POV

"What do you mean? My sister has been dead awhile, that's the reason I created the drug and got involved with the Facility to begin with." Lily didn't understand any of it. Her sister had been autistic; with sever social issues and a variety of health issues. They had been in foster care when her sister had taken ill and never returned from the hospital.

"Were you ever with her when she was in the hospital?" Alex asked her.

"No they wouldn't let me. They didn't think I could handle it. I had just survived my uncle trying to kill us."

"The Facility was always looking for displaced kids." Aaron answered as he held her hand as a comfort. "That's how they found me. They find kids that no one will miss." A mix of emptions ran through Lily. Everything from sadness, grief and anger to confusion and every time she turned around she was finding some truth that had been hidden from her.

"Is she still alive?" She asked Alex whom seemed so much different. He seemed to have suddenly aged by years and as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. So different from what he was before. She suspected his programing had been breaking down but like her and Aaron he had been repeatedly lied to. If she had been in his situation with the information he had been given, she wasn't sure if she would had reacted any differently.

"I don't know if she is alive. But I have to find her." Alex paused for a moment before he continued. "I've watched the two of you for a while now. I've seen how dedicated you are to each other. You don't give up. I feel like that with Sarah, like a piece of me is missing when she's not here. They did things to her. Tried to "improve" her but they could never get rid of deep seeded emotions. When I first saw you in the lab, you reminded me so much of her. She had just disappeared then and when you started your search I thought we could work together. Problem was Byler got to me before you." He looked away at that point.

"Is that your way of apologizing?" Aaron asked him in a voice that was slightly unbelieving.

"As close as you're going to get." Alex said with his smirk that they had grown accustom to. Aaron considered him for a moment and held his hand out.

"Then let's get out of here brother." Alex looked at the hand for a moment before shaking it. Two brothers had finally come together after spending so much time apart.

"We will find her Alex." Lily answered and Alex nodded his head in agreement.

"First we have to get you off this mountain." Aaron said as Alex started to make his way into the cave. He bent down and looked into her eyes as he spoke. "I'll be right back. I'm going to find you radio so we can contact your friend. You stay here and keep an eye out okay?" She nodded her head and grabbed his hand as he started to walk away.

"Be careful, okay."

"Always." He responded as he lightly kissed her.

Suddenly she was alone and scared. Her sister was alive and now missing. She had always been close to Sarah and had always taken care of her. Sarah had been childlike very curious and very innocent. She had always had a way of seeing the beauty and good in everything. Lily was wiping the tears from her eyes when Aaron and Alex came back a while later. Aaron noticed it and came over to her and sat beside her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked her placing his finger under her chin getting her to look at him. She shrugged her shoulders and laid her head on his shoulder suddenly drained of all energy. Her leg hurt and she just wanted to feel safe. With Aaron she was.

"I thought she was dead. I always felt like I had failed her? What if she thinks I abandoned her?"

"She doesn't think that." Alex answered but didn't elaborate.

"We will find her, I promise" Aaron said as he put his arm around her pulling her close. "In the meantime let's contact your friend, shall we?" Aaron added as he handed her the radio. After she had sent their message to Agent Mitchell who promised to be there with in the hour they settled in to make plans. After a little bit they started to make their way down to the lake, Mitchell would be sending a helicopter and would be landing in the clearing next to the shore. They waited near the tree line and out of sight. There was no telling if Byler was still out there and they wanted to stay somewhat under cover. That was when they started to hear the unmistakable sound of the helicopter coming over the mountains. Lily was leaning against a rock while Aaron and Alex looked to the sky.

"I'm not sure I should stick around for this brother. I don't think I will be very welcomed by the law." Alex spoke into the dimming light.

"Alex, no. We need you to find my sister." Lily responded as Aaron moved toward them.

"Ah cheri, I don't think your agent friends are going to be as welcoming as you are. Besides I don't do well in cages and I need to be out looking for her."

"But we can do this together Alex. You're not in this alone." Without looking at her he turned to Aaron and offered him his hand. Aaron took it and the two brothers who were so much alike and so different looked at each other.

"See you soon." Aaron said

"Maybe." Alex said with a tight smile and he turned to walk away. At the last second he turned back to Aaron. "Take care of her. She's worth it."

"I know" Aaron responded and watch as Alex disappeared into the woods just at the helicopter was coming over the mountain top. He turned to Lily and stopped because Byler had her in a chock hold with a gun to the head.

"You didn't complete your mission Cross, now it's my turn. Your girlfriend here has caused me a lot of problems. Problems I don't need." He started dragging her over to the lake and onto the ice. It hadn't been cold enough for it to freeze completely through and the ice was starting to crack.

"Let her go Byler!" Aaron shouted at him as he started to drag her further out onto the ice. A light from the helicopter shown down on Byler and Lily, Mitchell was hanging over the side of the helicopter with a gun trained on them.

"Let her go Byler, its over." Mitchell shouted over the roar of the blades. Ignoring it he continued to pull her further out onto the lake. Lily could see Aaron shouting but over the noise. Suddenly she was hit with a solid force so hard she slid along the ice until she came to a stop. She looked out to see Aaron running to her and she saw Byler struggling with someone else on the ice. It was Alex. Aaron picked her up and carried her to shore just as the helicopter had landed and Mitchell with his men got out. Just as Mitchell was about to give the order to take them out the ice beneath them started to crack. She buried her head in Aaron's shoulder just as both Alex and Byler disappeared beneath the water trapping them both under the ice.

**Let me know what you think!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay a couple more chapters of this. Thank you so much for hanging in there with me. I have really enjoyed creating this particular one, but have no fear another one is in the works. And so it continues…**

Chapter Fifteen: Next Step

Lily's POV

The next few days went by in a blur. After they had left the mountain side Lily spent the next few days in the hospital. Not only because of her leg, which was now stitched up and wrapped but also because she was severely dehydrated and had a number of other scrapes, bumps, bruises and lacerations. Aaron on the hand was just fine, figures with his fast healing and super immune system. He stayed with her the whole time, only leaving for a few minutes at a time. She had tried to get him on more than one occasion to leave for sleep and food. He never left. She knew he was dealing with the loss of his brother and coping with everything else that had happened as of recently. They had found the body of Eric Byler trapped under the ice but Alex's wasn't found. In the spring they planned on dragging the lake to get confirmation but Lily didn't really believe they would ever find them. How he could have survived she didn't know but somehow she knew he had, because Aaron would have. They were so alike that way. Very dedicated to those they love and not stopping at any cost to protect them.

Aaron didn't talk about his brother or much else that had happened. Instead they talked about other things such as their childhood memories, her sister and even about the future. She didn't dare to hope too much but one thing this whole experience had taught her was to life to its fullest and she didn't want to do it without Aaron. One time he had asked her more about where she had come from so she told him all that she knew. She had been born in Shannon Ireland and they had left when she was very young. She knew that her father had been an American who was traveling on business when he meant her mother and never left. After getting married and having first Sarah and then herself they were in the process of starting a business of their own. They had taken a trip back to her father's home when the unthinkable happened. A tragic car accident left both of the girls' orphans and in the care of her father's brother.

"So do you think you would ever go back?" He asked her at one point holding her hand as if he was afraid she would disappear.

"I think so. It's where I come from and the only connection to my family I have left. Maybe that's were Sarah went to."

"You believe she's alive." It was a statement, not a question.

"Do you believe that Alex is still alive?" This was a question, one that had been avoided the last few days.

"I want to believe it, I do. I just don't know." He seemed to have a far off look in his eyes and she squeezed his hand to bring him back. He looked down at her and smiled before she asked.

"Wouldn't you have found a way to survive in order to protect the ones you love?"

"Yeah, I would." He said and reached down to kiss her deeply. They were interrupted suddenly by someone clearing their throat at the door to her hospital room.

"So sorry to interrupt this lovely moment you to kids but can I speak with you outside for a moment Cross?" Lily suddenly had a frightening thought and it must have registered on her face because Mitchell just chuckled before he continued.

"No worries kiddo, I'm not taking him away for very long. I just need to settle some last minute things before I head out." He approached the bed and continued. "I'm glad to see you decided to call me for help. Hopefully this is the last time we will hear about The Facility. We are now rounding up the last few stragglers and I think it's safe to say this is just about done. I'm on my way back to Washington to finish filing the report. There are still a lot of trials to go through but the evidence is overwhelming. We got the ring leader in all of this and I don't believe you will have to testify."

"Thanks Charles, for everything."

"I should thank you for everything and don't you worry I will still be on the lookout for that sister of yours." He took her hand and gave it a squeeze before he turned to leave. Aaron also squeezed her hand and said.

"Be right back." She fell asleep a few minutes later finally feeling safe.

She woke sometime later with Aaron looking out the window into the night. He seemed deep in thought and didn't turn around until she said his name.

"Hey, look who is awake." He said as he smiled down at her.

"Aaron what's wrong?" He shrugged

"Nothing, I'm just thinking how lucky I am to have you." He took her hand and kissed her fingers where they intertwined with his.

"No there's something else. Did they find Alex or Sarah?" Aaron took a deep breath before he answered.

"Possible Alex, but you know he won't make himself know unless he wants to be found."

"And you are the only one he will come out for." She said finishing her sentence. She knew what was happening next so she took a deep breath and continued. "You have to go. Go find your brother Aaron, go find your family." Tears were starting to form in the corners of her eyes and she tried not to let them show but one escaped and Aaron captured it on his thumb.

"You are my family and all that matters. I said I wouldn't leave you and I'm not going to. I need to take care of you, I'm not going anywhere."

"Aaron, you're not leaving me your helping to put our family back together. You need to know where your brother is just as I need to know about Sarah. I'll be there when you get back. Besides I get out tomorrow and I have been taking care of myself for a long time." She told him gently. "I love you and what kind of person would I be if I let you stay here. You need to go."

"You are an incredible person, you know that." He said as he slipped into the bed with her pulling her close. "I love you too." He whispered as she drifted off back to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning Aaron was gone. She felt an instant sense of loneliness and tried really hard not to cry. She knew he needed to go, she also knew he wished he didn't have to. A nurse came in at that time to do some final checks before she was discharged.

"So your friend left this for you before he left you this morning." The nurse said as she handed her an envelope. "He said to tell you he was sorry he missed you but explained everything in that note." The nurse said pointing to it. "Really nice guy, you are very lucky woman."

"You have no idea." She responded as the nurse took her blood pressure.

"It is so nice to see such pure love. You don't get that much anymore. Anyway he sent a car for you and said he would meet up with you later." Lily nodded a thanks but didn't dare say anything. A lump had formed in her throat that she couldn't quite speak around. This had to happen, she had told him to go but it didn't make it easier. She knew it was time for her to leave and she knew he would find her soon enough. She gripped the letter as the nurse finished and she didn't open it until she had left the hospital and was safely stashed inside her hotel room. Here she was safe to cry as she opened the letter and read it through blurry eyes. She read it once, twice, three times until she had it memorized. She folded it up, tucked it into a safe place and knew what she had to do. It was time for her to go home.

**Okay, I promise it won't be sad when I finish the last chapter. So enjoy and PLEASE let me know what you really think. Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay so in my strange little word and my obsession with not only musical theater but romantic comedies there is always a song playing when the guy and girl finally make it through. As I have been writing these stories two songs have been forever in the foreground of my mind and I thought they really spoke about my mind set where Aaron and Lily were. The first one was "**_**Run" by Snow Patrol**_** which the lyrics seemed to fit very well. The second one really fits for this next chapter and just wouldn't go away. "**_**Without You" by David**_** Guetta although I prefer the version Lea Michelle did in Glee. Let me know what you think. Thanks everyone!**

Epilogue: Journey Home

Lily's POV

_Lily,_

_ Hey Sweetheart. I find myself not sure on what to say so I picked a move from your playbook. When you first handed me that note so many months before I knew then my life would never be the same. You not only brought me out of the dark hole I found myself in but you also gave my life a purpose. Because of you I have found a family, a place and what true love really is. I never really knew what it was to have a sole mate but now I do. You are my everything and my anything; I will do what I have to keep you safe and happy. _

_ First there are some things I must to do to ensure that happiness, things that before I never had the courage or need to do. It wasn't until I meant you that I truly understood what it was to be brave and true. You are the kindest and bravest person I know. You have taught me how to love, how to forgive and how to live. Because of this I intend to live every moment, every second of my life to its fullest with you by my side._

_ I will find my brother and get the answers we both need. I will find your sister so that we can continue to put our family back together and get back everything that was taken from us. I want to wake up every morning and go to sleep every night with you by my side. I want to have our own family with kids and grandkids, a true home. This is my promise to you. _

_ I will see you very soon and we will finally start our life together. I love you with all that I am and all that I will ever be._

_ All my love,_

_Aaron_

She folded the letter back up and stuck it back in her pocket. Over the last few weeks she had read it a hundred times over. Reading it had made her feel closer to him and she knew it was only a matter of time before he found his way too her. She knew he had to do this just as she had to go back to Ireland. He would find her here; he always knew how to find her.

She had been there for a couple of days before she came across a quiet little bed and breakfast that was run by an elderly couple Molly and William O'Callaghan. The O'Callaghan's had run their business for forty five years and as fate would have it; they had been friends with her mother. For days she had talked with them about her parents, how they met, where he mom had come from. Of the first time she felt like she had been closer to them they she ever had been. It wasn't long before Molly had insisted she stay with them until she was "up on her own feet" noticing her injury almost immediately. They were kind people and everything Irish hospitality was famous for. Eventually she was able to open up about her life, her sister and Aaron.

"Ah, yes true love is a wonderful thing my dear." Molly told her one night as they sat swapping stories. This had become a regular ritual, one that Lily really enjoyed.

"I just worry about him."

"Of course you do dear, but from the sounds of it he loves you too." She reached over and patted Lily's hand. "Which leads me to my next thing." William had entered the room then holding a piece of paper which he handed to his wife as he leaned in to kiss her. This made her smile to see such love between the two of them. It left her with a sense of hope.

"We thought you might like this, if you intend to stay that is." William said as he handed her the paper. It was a deed to a house, her parent's cottage!

"I don't understand?' Lily asked as William explained.

"When your father first came over here we were business partners. You see he was interested in antiquities and my family deals with that. He meant your mother and before they were married he bought her this cottage."

"When they were in that terrible accident…" Molly continued. "There was no one left to care for the place so we did."

"You see your parents were the reason we found each other and we though the least we could do is to keep it safe for their daughter's. So it belongs to you now. The deed was sent to us by a lawyer for safe keeping." William said as he sat next to her. "No I can see you're not really good at letting those take care of you but your family now and family takes care of each other. Especially here, so tomorrow Molly will be taking you to see it and you can decide on what you want to do. Now you are more than welcome to stay here as long as you need, but when your love return's you're going to want someplace more, out of the way." He added with a smile.

"Thank you, both of you." Lily said through tears as she hugged them both.

The next morning, true to their words they took her to her cottage. It was nestled next to the shore line surrounded by the most beautiful garden which was in full bloom. It was so beautiful and romantic that it seemed to be a dream and not reality.

Molly took her on a quick tour and started to open windows to air it out.

"I come by once a week or so to make sure it is in order. I wanted it to be like home when someone came to claim it." She said with a smile. Lily looked around the room taking it all in. It was almost overwhelming and Molly seemed to sense it and suggested she go for a walk in the garden, which she did.

The garden was beautiful and she could see the cliffs of the shore line from where she stood. It was beautiful but lonely. She wrapped her arms to keep the chill away as the wind picked up whipping her hair around. It felt cleaning and made her grateful to be alive, grateful to have such good friends and yet slightly incomplete.

She sensed him before she saw him and she turned around. At first she couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was almost dreamlike and at first she wasn't sure rather it was just hopeful thinking or she was really starting to lose her mind but then he stepped forward and her breath caught in her throat

"Aaron."

"Hi sweetheart." He said as he stepped so that he was right in front of her looking deep into her eyes.

"I got your note" She said with a slight smile. He tucked a strain of her hair around her ear as it was lashing in the wind.

"Good." He said returning her smile.

"Kind of took your time didn't you?" He pulled her close to him.

"Yeah well it took a little time to find the perfect one." He was being cryptic which made her suspicious.

"The perfect what?" She asked and he pulled out the perfect ring in the perfect setting on the perfect band. Her breath caught once again and she was suddenly speechless.

"So after a lot of searching I realized I can't do it without you. So…" he bent down on one knee looking up at her with a brilliant smile. "…what say you and I make sure we are never apart again and we make this journey together?" He looked at her expectantly. Lily wasn't sure rather to laugh, cry or both. He took her shaking hand in his and said "Isolde Lily Carmichael, will you marry me?" She must have shook her head yes because she could speak and he stood up taking her in his arms and kissing her as he never had before. When they pulled apart he looked down at her.

"You make me better and made me realize what it means to be human. I love you more than anything."

"I love you too and if you think you can put up with me I am never again letting you out of my sight again." He kissed her again. "What about Alex and Sarah?" She asked when they pulled apart again.

"There is more work to be done and yes Alex is alive and we are still looking for your sister." She started to continue and he quieted her. "But first, I missed my girl and we have a lot of catching up to do." This made her smile.

"Your girl, huh?' She asked him teasingly. And he pulled her close as if he would never let go.

"Yes, my girl and we have this wedding to plan." Then once more he kissed her. It had been a long journey home but they had finally both found their way now and forever.

The End

**Thank you so much for staying with me for this one. Have no fear however because I am not yet done with Lily and Aaron. After all we have a wedding to plan and siblings to be found and as all of you know nothing is simple in their world so stay tuned for the next chapter in to the Lily and Aaron saga which will be titled Familiar Strangers. Give me a few weeks work it out. Once again thanks!**


	18. Chapter 18

Yes, I was able to come up with one more Aaron and Lily story. I'm not exactly sure where it will lead me but I can't wait. One month has gone by, one month since Lily and Aaron finally found each other again. Settled down and planning their future, they are happy and content. Good things don't necessarily stay that way for long as a shadow emerges to exact revenge, a kidnapping takes place and a long though dead sister returns. Who has been kidnapped? Who is this shadow? And will Lily and Aaron really make it down the aisle in one piece? We shall see. I just posted the prologue to Familiar Strangers so enjoy and let me know what you think.- Anna


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